Definition of Fair to middling

1. Adjective. About average; acceptable. "More than adequate as a secretary"

Exact synonyms: Adequate, Passable, Tolerable
Similar to: Satisfactory
Derivative terms: Adequateness

Definition of Fair to middling

1. Adjective. (idiomatic usually hyphenated when placed before noun) Only tolerably good; somewhat favorable. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Fair To Middling

fair dinkum
fair dos
fair enough
fair game
fair go
fair hearing
fair linen
fair market value
fair market values
fair off
fair play
fair suck of the sauce bottle
fair suck of the sav
fair to middlin'
fair to middling (current term)
fair trade
fair up
fair use
fair uses
fair weather
fair weather friend
fair wind
fairbankite
fairchildite
fairdom
faire
faired
fairer

Literary usage of Fair to middling

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Literary World by Samuel R. Crocker, Edward Abbott, Nicholas Paine Gilman, Madeline Vaughan Abbott Bushnell, Bliss Carman, Herbert Copeland (1887)
"Well, on must not carry the reduction of scale too far. i book that is only "fair to middling" in thes days is not worthy of consideration. ..."

2. The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review by Isaac Smith Homans, William B. Dana (1854)
"... prices also slightly advanced, particularly for inferior to good common, the range being, inferior to good common §4 a 5, fair to middling $5 25 a 6, ..."

3. The Unity of Religions: A Popular Discussion of Ancient and Modern Beliefs by John Herman Randall, J. Gardner Smith (1910)
"fair to middling, sir; fair to middling," and he continued to currycomb the bay horse while the president smoked and looked on in good-natured silence. ..."

4. The Innocents Abroad; Or, The New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain (1871)
"... 1852, £250; 1854, £300. Best brands Georgian, none in market; second quality, 1851, £180. Nineteen fair to middling Wallachian girls offered at £130 ..."

5. The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language by William Dwight Whitney (1890)
"639. 3. Of medium quality: a specific commercial grade of flour, pork, etc. See fair to middling, under fair1.- Middling gossip, a go-between. ..."

6. The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine by Charles Fenno Hoffman, Timothy Flint, Lewis Gaylord Clark, Kinahan Cornwallis, John Holmes Agnew (1838)
"This was voted 'from fair to middling,' by a flour-merchant, and laughed at by all; but the obese reposed on his laurels. ..."

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